2/3/10

It was our last day here in Manta. I have to admit that I am very sad to be leaving. One thing that I forgot to include in the post from yesterday is that after dinner last night our team got together and prayed for our interpreters. We felt very strongly that we needed to pray for the salvation and that God would open their hearts to him and his calling. It was very powerful. I would love to say that today they both gave their lives to Christ, but they didn’t. But we all know that the seeds have been planted. I truly believe that they will get it. I am sure.

Our day again began around 6:45. I spent some quality quiet time reading my Bible in our shower so that I would not wake Scott up. (I just thought that was funny.) The message for devotions today was all about what God has called us to be. He summarized our purpose in three things:

1. Soldier: We are called to fight for our leader without question. We are given the training we need. We are always at war.

2. Athlete: We must have self-discipline just as an athlete in training has. We must not be afraid even when it hurts or is uncomfortable.

3. Farmer: We have hard work ahead of us. We must till the ground, plant the seeds and know when to harvest the crops. The thing is “IF you don’t plant, you can’t expect a crop.”

Once again, a soul piercing message. He got us so motivated to go out to fight the battle, be willing to do whatever it takes, and plant the seeds.

Today we had only one distribution planned and that was going to be later in the afternoon. In the morning we made our way to the local hospital so we could see how things were run in a typical hospital in Manta. Afterwards we headed to a site where Samaritan’s Purse is building a hospital that will be open to the public. They wanted us to see the difference between to the two of them. I have to admit I was not very excited about seeing the local hospital because I knew it was going to be very difficult, but I knew it was necessary.

Along the way there were two boys on the side of the rode waiving down our bus trying to get ride. Chi Chi had the bus stop and pick them up. They were 11 and 13 years old. Chi Chi said that is not unusual for children to do this. We thought nothing of it. Well, about 5 minutes later the oldest one stood up and in Spanish announced that he was selling cookies and wanted to know if we wanted to buy any of them. (They were salesmen.) The cookies were 2 for $1. Who could pass that up? The younger boy didn’t have anything to sell, instead he serenaded me and another woman on our team in a big vibrato voice in Spanish. It was so cute. Of curse we had to tip him too. Well, those boys may have made their money for the day, but what they didn’t realize is that they had gotten on a bus full of famers for God. Once again, we got out some Lunch bags, filled them up; got to “Greatest Gift of All” Booklets, and had a mini-distribution right there on the bus. The boys accepted the gifts with gratitude and sat in their seats. Immediately they read their books and looked through their bags. I do not know what they did later, but at least we have planted the seed.

Eventually we arrived at the hospital. It was everything I thought it was going to be and then some. There were people just pouring in and out of it. It was dirty. It was depressing. I have to admit that I didn’t take any pictures of it all because I just couldn’t. It felt wrong. But, I can tell you some of the things that I learned and thought about:

- At this hospital they can only treat 1^st and 2^nd degree burns

- The ambulance is simply a way to transport people. They do not EMTs and they do not have equipment on the ambulance.

- Specialists only come in the mornings at the hospital. So if someone comes in needing surgery in the afternoon, they have to wait until the next day for an operation.

- There are only 4 beds in the ICU.

- There are no sheets or pillows available in the hospital, so you have to bring your own from home.

- One nurse will be in charge of up to 48 beds along with one doctor.

- We saw the room where the sick babies were and there was nothing sterile about it.

- When we went to the bathroom, we walked through the ICU for children (one bed), and they were working on the child right there as we passed.

- Scott couldn’t go into the rooms, and I had to stop after a couple.

- It was awful.

After this we headed towards the Samaritan’s Purse site where they are building a site for a new and updated hospital. It is amazing. They showed us the operating rooms with all the equipment that will make the room sterile. They showed us the room where they will cast, where they will do ex-rays, and the rooms for the patients. It is not a huge building, but it is better than anything Manta has right now. They are hoping to have it done by March, but they are going to need more funding. They strongly believe that God will provide and I do too. We had a chance to help work on the site. Some of us put ceiling tiles in, others worked on the grout, others taped doors that were going to be painted, and others supervised. It was so much fun to see and be a part of a Samaritan’s Purse project. It is just one more reason why I love this ministry. J

We then were off to our final distribution. L It was such a bittersweet moment. On the one had you are so excited about the event, but then you realize that’s it. . . It was tough. This one was a little different from the other 4 because it was in church in the town of Manta. Many of the people are facing difficult hardships financially, but they seem a little better off than those we have seen before. The cool thing was that when we got to the site, Ale knew the children’s minister. She is his cousin. It was great to see them connect.

This distribution was by far the most organized. They had many things planned and they had even put the names of the children on the boxes before they had arrived. It was great. I connected immediately with a group of girls who insisted that I sit with them and they wanted to hold my hand and hug on me. It was awesome. One of the girls named Melana, tried to speak to me. I explained to her that I could only speak a little, so she spoke more slowly. It was very cute. Eventually I got Ale to come over and be my mouth for me. Melana did not want to speak to him at first until she realized that he would interpret for me. It was very cute and Ale was very good with her. This was just part of this wickedly awesome distribution.

Highlights:

- Scott came and sat with the same group of kids with me. Scott started playing around with Melana and so I told her that he was Loco. She thought that was so funny so she told all her friends that too. Scott this was funny as well.

- They did “I said a Boom Chicka Boom”

- Melana loved to get her picture taken and loved to take pictures as well. I actually let her take several pictures. It was very sweet. She also loved to look at the pictures. She kept wanting to look through all the pictures I had, but something always came up and we never got to look at them all.

- Our leader, Ken Chivers, played the games with the kids. He jumped on one leg in the relay, and he got water out of a bucket in another. He was real sport.

- Scott gave Harper’s box to a little girl named Maria. She was about 4 years old and she definitely needed something to make her smile. Harper had intended her box to go to an older girl, but God wanted it to go to Maria. When the children were finally able to open their boxes, the first thing Maria found in her box was Barbie doll. This was the only thing she really looked at, because she immediately took it out of the box and did not let go of it the rest of the time she was there. She was so happy. An older girl may not have responded the way.

- After explaining to Maria’s mom that it was our daughter who sent the box, she kept thanking us and both Maria and her sister kept saying tell your daughter we said hi.

- Scott gave the box from our prayer team to boy named Jose. He was one of the leader’s children and they had run out of boxes. He did not get upset or throw a fit, but when Scott gave him a box he was so happy. It was great. His favorite thing in the box was a pair of sunglasses. He wore them everywhere. It was very cute.

- There were two little boys who were twins at the distribution who just loved everyone. Their names were Rickie and Eddie. They just wanted to hug all of us constantly.

- The children at this distribution made it very hard to leave the church let alone leave Ecuador. They were so well behaved and so incredibly warm.

- Scott gave the last of the lunch bags to the pastor. He was going to give them out to children who were unable to make it to the distribution.

- When it came time to pray for the pastor something awesome happened. There was a woman our team named Nora who speaks Spanish. It was like a bonus interpreter. For the last two days, she always interpreted the prayers for the pastor. Well, on this distribution, she made Chi Chi interpret it. He did an beautiful job. The prayer was amazing and God was surely in that place. Immediately after finishing, Nora walked over to Chi Chi and he gave her a huge hug. He loved being able to do it. No, he still didn’t accept Christ into his heart, but the seeds are definitely there.

- I left my bag at the church so we had to go back. When we pulled up it was Eddie and Ricky who brought it onto the bus. Eddie kept saying, “I knew it was Kelli’s.”

So with many tears and emotions, we took off for our hotel and dinner together. During dinner we heard some amazing stories about what Samaritan’s Purse is doing in Ecuador. It really is quite amazing. They helped send a girl to the states to have her scoliosis fixed, they continue to help the Cuban refugees, they are building the hospital, they built 102 homes for people who were affected by a volcano and the list goes on. It was so powerful and we all left dinner feeling a little prouder of being a part of something so wonderful.

Day Three

2/2/10

Today was great because we did not have to get up until 6:45 am which was nice because it gave us a chance to catch up on a little sleep. It was something all of us desperately needed. I know I did. J Scott actually got up a little earlier and attempted to work out. It did not go well. The machines were slow and there was no air conditioning in the gym. Needless to say, I do not think he will attempt that again. (I am little worried about training when I get back, but I will think about that when we are home.)

We had a wonderful breakfast and once again the Pastor for our trip, Pastor Pete, shared an amazing message. Today he focused on two things really. The first was just a little bonus story that he felt lead to share. He talked about Acts 1:8 and the Ascension of Jesus. He talked about how the disciples looked up to watch Jesus go, and that when the angels appeared before them to ask why they were looking up, the angels were actually on the ground. In other words, the angels were reminding the disciples and all of us that our work is here on earth. We need to be focused on what is around us, and not lose sight of the fact that God called us to witness here and now.

He then gave his main message which came from Genesis where Abraham was called to sacrifice Isaac. Pastor Pete said,” We love the promise (of God) and we love his provisions, but it is what is in between the two that is important. It is here where a price must be paid.” He went on to tell us that you can have a vision, but all visions must come with a sacrifice and if you are not willing to pay then your vision is worthless. Jesus will not look you over someday for medals but rather for scars. WOW! He is so right. It was so great to be reminded that there will never be anything worth doing that doesn’t require a sacrifice. That is exactly what Christ did for each of us, and we are called to pick up our crosses and follow him. After a message like that we were ready to go and do it.

So pumped up and ready to go, we were off for our first distribution. Little did I know what impact this one was going to have on me. You see, here in Ecuador, there are hundreds of people who live in or just outside of the local dump, or landfill. They work there. They scrounge through the trash looking for valuables and anything that can be recycled. Many, if not all, of them have children and up until a couple of years ago the children would work in the dump alongside their parents, then a group created a school where the children of the dump could go to school. So it then became a rule that in order for parents to work in the dump they had to let their children go to school.

I will tell you, after the distribution we went to the dump, itself because where we were for the distribution was just outside. I can not put into words what we experienced there. For everything I write right now, just know it was ten times worse, maybe even 100 times. The mounds of filth went on for miles, and unlike us in the states, there trash was not in bags. The smell was unbearable. There were hundreds of flies everywhere you looked. At different points, you saw smoke rising from the ground caused from the combustion of decomposing trash. There were makeshift homes built periodically out of plywood and cardboard. The most amazing thing was that even in this filthy, smelly, horrific place, the people were still so friendly. They would stop their work and wave to us on the bus. They would smile and wave! They had a job and they were doing what they had to do. I couldn’t help but think about how we would be in the states. It just wouldn’t be the same. It was truly a sight, an experience I will never forget. EVER!

Distribution #3

Site: El Galpon Asociacion Papi Corre

So our first distribution was to the children of the dump. We were expecting about 200 children along with their families, and when we arrived, they were all waiting for us. The sight was set up outside beside the building where the children go to school. They were playing praise and worship music (in Spanish) and getting seats set up for everyone to sit upon. The people were all dressed in their very best clothes. The children looked awesome. Their hair was combed and done nicely. Families sat together, some mothers nursed their children, but most of all the children smiled and waved at us. They just wanted to interact with us. It was beautiful. Once again, I am going to list everything that happened here; otherwise, it will take me a day and half to describe everything in great detail. J

- There were pigs in the back of the area where we were distributing.

- I got to sit and interact with children by handing out stickers. One little girl named Juliasey (spelling is not correct) stole my heart. She was so sweet. She wanted stickers everywhere and loved to try to talk to me. We smiled a lot and she hugged me several times throughout the day. At one point I tried to have someone who could speak more Spanish than I can, explain to Julieasey that Scott was my husband. Well, in her poor Spanish my friend told Juliesay that Scott was Julieasey’s husband. She was not happy about that. Eventually we got that corrected. I thought she was going to avoid me after that, but children are so forgiving and soon she was back at my side.

- The pastor was filled with the spirit of God. He was one of those people who truly shines. I mean SHINES the glory of God. He was radiating.

- We sang the song “Undignified.” They sang in Spanish, and Scott and I sang in English. We all danced.

- We had two interpreters with us who were amazing. Chi-Chi was 41 and a local. He had been to the states quite a bit and was just a great guy. Ale (short for Alejandro) was 19 and an amazing young man. He learned to speak English at school. Neither of them are Christians and most were amazed at what they were seeing. Ale even brought his camera with him on this day because he was wowed at what he was seeing. (We had many talks about religion.)

- When the children received their boxes, they lined up by age group one group at a time. I had the privilege of handing the boxes to the boys (el ninos) ages 2-4. I got to give the their shoebox with the “The Greatest Gift” booklet, and I got to tell the “Christo te ama!” Their smiles were priceless! Priceless!

- There were about 15-20 women with small babies who desperately wanted a box for their babies. At first we had to tell them no, but eventually we discovered that we had enough for each of them as well.

- I gave Juliesay the box that Torii packed. I then got to watch her open it up, and talk to her about what she was seeing. While she was waiting to open her box, Julieasey was looking through her booklet. (The children have to wait until everyone has a box before they can open it. That is a highlight in itself because the kids are so patient and good.) Anyway, she was looking at the story of Jesus, so I pointed to a picture and said “Jesus.” She began speaking quickly so I grabbed Chi-Chi and aske him what she was saying. He told me she was talking about the chains and whips they used on Jesus and the fact that he was hung on a cross. I then turned a couple of pages to the picture of the resurrection and told her that he died for her and that he also rose again so that we could be with him in heaven one day. (Chi Chi interpreted for me of course.) She smiled. It was great.

- Scott got to give one of the River Run box to a little boy named Gabriel. He was adorable. He had the opportunity to watch Gabriel open it as well. He said that Gabriel really liked a Mister Potato Head that Brian Dorn gave to us. He played with it and Scott got to show him how it worked.

- As we were getting ready to leave, a car pulled up and three children got out of the car. They were late and we did not have any more shoeboxes. Scott quickly remembered that we lunchbags filled with toys and things. So he took them to the children, they were so happy. The parents thanked us several times and once again we got to see how awesome our God really is.

- Major lesson learned: You cannot be a part of something if all you do is stand outside and watch.

- By the way, it was soooooo hot, but we just didn’t care.

- After many hugs, kisses and much gratitude we got in the bus to move on our next stop.

After this emotionally draining distribution, and the trip through the dump, we headed off to find a place to eat and unwind. Our interpreter, Chi Chi took us to a town, San Mateo, where he had lived for quite some time. It was awesome. His face lit up as he showed where he was lived, where his brother worked, where different things took place. He even had the bus stop down by the ocean where they do a lot fishing so that we could take pictures. He was so proud. We loved it. We then drove down onto the beach where there was an old bar that was no longer open. It was a welcome change and a great place to decompress. We went down to the ocean and walked along it’s edge. There were so many beautiful rocks being brought up onto the sand. They were beautiful in color like reds and even blues. It was definitely something all of us needed. We then headed off for our second distribution.

Distribution #4

Site Name: Communidad Cristiana Casa de Dios

This church is located in the community of Pacoche which is a very rural mountain community. The church has kids’ club on Tuesday night and the distribution was part of this. There about 175 children at the site including 20 children from a local orphanage. The same pastor, Pator Fabiano, from our earlier distribution was in charge of this one as well. He was just as amazing later in the afternoon as he was at the beginning. Even Scott says that Pastor Fabiano has what every Christian truly desires. The handing out of the shoeboxes went much like our first distribution went. The children lined up in age and gender groups and received their boxes. They then held onto them patiently waiting for the chance to open them up. Here are the highlights:

- While everyone was waiting for the activities to begin, Scott and several others on our team made balloon animals for the kids. They were so happy. Eventually we had to just blow the balloons up and hand them out because we did not have the time to make everyone one. The amazing thing was the kids were just as happy with a balloon as with one shaped like something. WOW!

- I started taking pictures and the moms would ask me to take pictures of their children. They wanted to see the picture on the screen of my camera. They would straighten the children’s clothes and hair. It was like they were getting portraits done.

- The children from the orphanage helped run the worship. Some of them performed in the skit that was done, others sang, and they all danced to “Every Step I Take.” We found out many stories of their lives and discovered that it nearly impossible for Americans to adopt from Ecuador. Their government does not allow it.

- The children were broken into groups. Some of them did a craft, others learned a Bible verse, and some went to “play” baseball. Scott joined the baseball group, and he had a blast helping the kids hit a ball with the bat.

- Scott met a boy named Robinson and he thought that was pretty cool.

- Our bus driver, Julio, came out and helped distribute the boxes. He usually stayed with the bus. Instead this time, he joined us. It was great.

- One of the children, Layton, received a box loved sports and in the box he got there was a soccer ball. One of the people on our team was the person who packed the box and he gave it to him.

- I had brought a really cute white bear with me that would not fit in shoebox. I carried it around in my backpack. There was a young pregnant girl there. I was able to give her my bear and tell her that Jesus loved her and her baby. She smiled. It was very sweet.

- When we prayed with the pastor at the end of the distribution, I got chills. I know God was smiling that day.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were hot and smelly. We were emotionally spent and yet so high. We had seen the love of God. The children from these distributions showed us clearly what God is all about. I think we were more blessed than the children themselves. We all agreed to go directly to dinner just as we were. We would celebrate our stinkiness. It was great. (Ale was the only who changed because there was young lady there he enjoyed being around.)

After dinner we heard another great speaker tell us about the number of boxes there were in Ecuador and how many were needed. Let me summarize simply what was said:

- This year they received: 99, 778 boxes

- There are 4,532,234 children between the ages of 0-14 in Ecuador alone

- That means that only 4.9% of the children received a shoebox

WE NEED MORE BOXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day one and two Ecuador

Let me begin to by saying, I am sorry if there are spelling mistakes, missed words, or simply things that don't make any since at all. I am writing this late at night and Spiritually high, but I am emotionally drained.

OUr flights to Ecuador were fairly uneventful. We left Orlando at 11:00 am on Sunday morning and arrived in Quito, Ecuador at 7:15 PM. (This was after we had an hour and a half lay-over in Miami.) We were greeted at the airport by Operation Christmas Child reps with open arms. It was wonderful. The trip through customs was completely uneventful and went rather quickly we were on our way to the buses in no time. One thing that did catch us off guard were the people we saw waiting in the terminal of the airport. They all looked as though they came from a page from the National Geographic. It was crazy. They looked Indian (Native American almost), many war hats and formal Ecuadorian dress. They were amazing. They were a quick reminder that we were no longer in the United States. It was awesome. (I wish we could have taken pictures, but we thought it would be rude. ;) ) Eventually we made our way to our hotel, where we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed off to a much-needed rest. Tomorrow would be coming way to early.

2/1/10

Today we were awaken by our wake up call at 4:15 am. Yep that’s right! 4:15!!!!! We grabbed a bottle of water and roll, and we were off to the airport to fly to Manta where we will be staying for the next three days. Although the process took a while to get us onto the plane, eventually it was a success and we were on our way. Manta, here we come!

We arrived at our hotel and immediately went to breakfast. There is a large supply of juices here and since we cannot drink the water, and can’t have ice as well, everything is served slightly chilled or cold. L It is funny how you grow accustom to certain things and you do not even realize it until you can’t have it that way. During breakfast we had the chance to share in the devotions of the guest pastor that has been brought on the trip from Fort Worth, TX. He was truly amazing! He used the scripture from Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” How perfect is that? He then reminded us of the Luke 15 where Christ taught the importance of the one lost soul through three different examples. It was such a perfect message for all of us to hear before we headed out on our distribution. We should never forget the importance of ONE!!!!!

At last we were on our way. Scott and I are part of the light blue team which is lead by our fearless leader Ken Chivers (pronounced Ch as in Church. . .CHivers. J ). Our team consists of 5 Area Coordinators, 2 Regional Managers for Operation Christmas Child, one OCC Worker from Boone, 3 interpreters and a bus driver named Julio. We travel in bus, and thank goodness we have a driver who is not only familiar with the streets of Manta, but also can drive with the crazy drivers in Manta. (It is a little scary.) J

We were able to go on two special distributions today. I want to be able to write down as many memories as I can, so they we have to come in bullet form. Sorry. I cannot write in paragraphs or great detail. It all goes beyond words:

Distribution One: Alianca El Porvenir

This is a church located in the community of Porvenir which is a very poor area in Ecuador. It is a Christian Church and there were 100 children waiting patiently inside for us to arrive with the shoeboxes. The church presented the message of Jesus and his grace through puppets, clowns, music (including some songs we sing at our own church), and a message presented by the pastor.

The actual distribution at this site was set up where each child who was receive a box was given a ticket. This allowed us to know the number of boxes that were needed. The children were then seated in circles according to their age and gender. We then gave each child a copy of the booklet, “The Greatest Gift.” Many of the child ren chose to read this book as they waited their turn to get a box. The children were told not open their boxes until everyone had one. They amazing thing is that they listened. As soon as the boxes were given out, the children were then allowed to open them up and see what was inside. We went around and interacted with them the entire time.

Highlights:

· The pastor was able to preach such a powerful message that even a non-spanish speaking person could understand.

· See the crates of boxes being brought into the church was overwhelming and exciting because you realized that the boxes really do go to the children and that we had packed boxes just like that were going to someone else in the world.

· We were one box short. Luckily, Scott and I were blessed to be given 20

insulated lunchboxes that we filled with items donated and discounted from Wal-greens. Along with items given from other members of the team, we were able to create a shoebox out of the bag.

· Oversized boxes can complicate things. On this distribution we were given two huge boxes. If they had been split, we would have had enough. The other thing is it was difficult giving one person a huge box and someone a much smaller one.

· I wish I could speak Spanish.

· At the end of the distribution we were able to pray with the pastor, his wife and part of their staff. We found out that one of the children from the group was actually in the hospital. His name is Kevin. He is three and he has kidney problems. They asked us to pray for Kevin as well. His father was there with us, so while we prayed for the pastor and the church, we prayed for Kevin as well. Later, we were able to give the dad a lunch bag with items in to share with Kevin. God is so good!!!

For lunch we sat on the hot bus and ate sandwiches. It was actually quite awesome. We were waiting for the pastor of the church of the next distribution to come and pick us up. This was great because we happened to be right in front of the hospital that Samaritan’s Purse is in the process of building. It was attached to the medical building that other charities have provided. We are going to have a chance to work on this Wednesday. We are looking forward to it.

Highlights:

· there are no doors on the building itself.

· Outside on a large Bulletin board is a list of services you can have done the cost for each one.

· There were probably 10 different types of doctors in the building and one doctor for each field.

· When we went inside, they allowed us to use the restrooms and while we were there they made sandwiches for us and poured soda for us. They gave to us!!!!!

· There was no air conditioning. The ceiling was vented, but it was very warm and humid outside.

Distribution #2 : Inglesia Shadai Missi

This church was also in Portoviejo and was in the middle of a farming area. The church had a school attached to it we were expecting somewhere between 400-500 children. This was to be the largest distribution of the week. At the site there at least 500 children inside and at least another 100 outside who could not get in.

When we arrived at the church the children were already seated in a sweltering building. More and more families continued to arrive. All chairs were already filled so people began sitting on the steps of the stage and lining all of the walls. The worship program was handled by the youth of the church with several of them dressed as clowns and signing secular and Christian songs. Unfortunately as the program began, the electricity went out. YEP! It went out. The children leading the service did their best to entertain and share the story of Christ as best they could, but with a microphone no one could here them. (I knew Satan was trying to do something at that point.) It did not take long for everyone to realize it was just best to give the shoeboxes out.

Unfortunately, there were not any tickets or anything else given out, to let us know who should get a box or whether or not they received one. We gave “The Greatest Gift of All” out again, and again the children dove right into. The problem came when we began distributing boxes. We did our best to try and ask people to stay in their seats and let us bring the boxes to them. This lasted for a very short time. Almost immediately, parents were encouraging their children to get out of their seats and ask for a box. Some parents came to us even without the children. We could not control who was coming in or leaving and although we tried very hard to keep things under control, it was not easy.

I will say that the electricity did eventually turn on. Unfortunately things had already started getting out of had and escalating. People were getting concerned that their child would not receive a box, it was very hot, and people who were pouring in from the outside. We finally had a put someone on guard at the door, and after a while we had to leave. There was concern that a mob scene was going to take place and they did not want anyone to get hurt. Although we did not get to interact as much, there were a lot of amazing God things that took place.

Highlights:

· Before the program began, I was talking (with a translator) to a group of boys in the front of the room. One of them told me he wanted to move to the United States. I told him that we could sneak him into my bag and he thought that was funny. I told him that I always wanted a son. He told me that may be true, but I wouldn’t want one that was black. (He was black,) I told him yes I would and that color didn’t matter to me. The translator included the fact that it did not matter to God either. It made him smile.

· No one got hurt or totally out of hand.

· Moms are moms no matter where you live and they all want to give their children whatever they can. I realized this most clearly when I had several who would follow me around begging for me to give a box to their child. We were encouraged to give them to the ones following instructions first. It was difficult because you could see the true desperation on their faces.

· Scott juggled for the children up on stage to try and get them to quiet down. They loved it. Another one of our group organized everyone to sing “Allelu, Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia” It was beautiful.

· Over 500 children received boxes and the gospel information they needed to understand God even more.

· As we left, children were all of the streets going through their boxes.

· The boy who wanted to come to the United States waved good-bye to me.

· There is no doubt that God allowed the boxes to keep on coming! He was obvious and although it was a little crazy. . .We had nothing to do with it, but God was all over it!!!

Needless to say, that when we got home we were very exhausted. I took a quick and then we were off to dinner. During dinner, we were introduced to the Ecudorian team. They are awesome!!! The woman who is charge of the discipleship program shared with us about the details of what happens after the boxes . Again, I do not want to bore you with every detail, but here are the highlights:

· there are already 2500 volunteers trained to share the Discipleship program with the kids. (This is the follow-up program. It is much like a Bible study.)

· In 2005 (When it began), 3000 children have gone through the program. 1598 of the children graduated and gave their lives to Christ.

· In 2009, over 19,000 children graduated!!!

· They have many prayer requests, but in nutshell they just need us to PRAY!!!!

Once this presentation was over, our night came to end. We were sent to bed and were encouraged to get plenty of rest because we would need it in the morning. They were kidding!!!! I am mentally drained, but spiritually. . . I am ON FIRE!!!